Program Offers Helpto Gay, Lesbian Seniors

October 9, 2002|By Diane C. Lade Staff Writer

Already, Sonia Convery is hearing the stories.

There are seniors who remember feeling ashamed to visit their partners in a nursing home, worried the staff wouldn't consider them family. A World War II veteran told Convery he couldn't believe that such a thing was happening in his lifetime -- that gay and lesbians, some who had spent years in hiding their true selves -- would be able to age among their own.

"People are very excited about this. They feel it's part of a trend," said Convery, outreach coordinator for Gay and Lesbian Elderly Services, or GALES, program.

GALES is the first government-financed senior program in South Florida that's targeting gay and lesbian elders. It was started last month to prepare for the Noble A. McArtor Senior Day Care Center in Fort Lauderdale, what experts think is the first of thousands of day centers nationwide designed to be gay-friendly, although all seniors will be welcomed.

The day center, to be open Mondays through Fridays, will provide activities, meals and support for frail seniors, their partners and families. In the planning stages for more than a year, it will be located in the Sunshine Cathedral, 1480 SW Ninth Ave.

The opening has been rolled back to February while the church waits for zoning changes.

"We want to start talking to people now, to get a feel for who is out there and what kind of help they need," said Edith Lederberg, executive director of Broward County's Area Agency on Aging, which plans and pays for aging services. The agency allocated $200,000 from the new National Caregivers Act, federal money earmarked for underserved caregiver groups, to start the center and GALES.

Michael Kinny, an area agency board member involved with the center, thinks younger gay men and women also may be interested in placing their aging parents at McArtor, as the staff will be more accepting of them.

The gay community has "warmly received [the project] since the first day it was announced," said Kinny, cultural tourism director for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Anyone who knows Edith isn't surprised she's again doing something in the forefront of elder care."

No one is certain how many gay and lesbian seniors call Broward County home. Lederberg estimates there could be at least 15,000 and that the numbers will grow, as Fort Lauderdale becomes an increasingly popular gay retirement destination.

Convery, who will be the center's coordinator when it opens, so far has only one potential participant signed up, although she has quite a few gay seniors wanting to volunteer there. "But I've heard from others who seem interested or who know people who would be appropriate," she said.

In the meantime, Convery is introducing herself and the program at gay and lesbian community events. She's developing a library that will include large-print books on gay and lesbian topics, as well as on general caregiving and aging.

And she's also at the end of the GALES hotline, taking questions from seniors, their families and friends.

"We're hoping to reach out to those who might not feel comfortable utilizing community services and maybe make it easier for them," she said.

For more information about the GALES program or the Noble A. McArtor Senior Day Care Center, call Sonia Convery at 954-714-3456, extension 241, or e-mail sonia@sunserve.org.